CLEVELAND, Dec. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center is the only Northeast Ohio hospital selected as a Top Hospital out of nearly 1,200 hospitals participating in The Leapfrog Group's annual survey.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. Its annual list of Top Hospitals was announced on Dec. 4 at the group's annual meeting in Baltimore. Last month, Leapfrog also awarded UH Case Medical Center an "A" Hospital Safety Score. This is UH Case Medical Center's fourth time on the Top Hospital list, which Leapfrog began in 2006.

"We are proud of this extraordinary achievement, which reflects University Hospitals' ongoing commitment to quality and safety for our patients," said William Annable, MD, Chief Quality Officer and Director of the UH Quality Institute.

Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said, "The Leapfrog Top Hospital distinction is by far the most competitive award a hospital can receive. Leapfrog holds hospitals to the highest standards on behalf of our purchaser members and their employees. By achieving the Top Hospital accolade, University Hospitals Case Medical Center has demonstrated exemplary performance across all areas of quality and patient safety that are analyzed on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. This hospital stands out as one consistently providing safe, high quality care, and I would be comfortable sending my family to UH for care."

This year's Top Hospital list includes a record 13 Top Rural Hospitals, 67 Top Urban Hospitals, and 12 Top Children's Hospitals. The survey focuses on three critical areas of hospital care: (1) how patients fare, (2) resources used to care for patients, and (3) management practices that promote safety and quality. In each of the three domains, Leapfrog asks hospitals to report on nationally standardized measures so healthcare consumers can compare hospitals in their community and across the country. The results of the survey are posted on a website (http://www.leapfroggroup.org/cp) open to patients and families, the public, employers, and other purchasers of healthcare.

While several agencies and organizations collect and publicize hospital quality data, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey is the toughest standard-bearer and provides the most complete picture of a hospital's safety, quality, and resource use performance.